‘We get closer as a league’: Four teams leave the bubble with a treasure trove of memories

SMART CLARK GIGA CITY – If there’s one thing NLEX coach Yeng Guiao will always appreciate about the PBA’s historic bubble season, it’s the camaraderie that developed not just within his team but across the league as well.

“It’s not just that we got closer as a team, but we got closer as a league,” said Guiao, whose Road Warriors made their last hurray with a 127-101 victory over fellow running back Terrafirma on Wednesday at the Angeles University Foundation Arena. .

For Guiao, one of the main drivers of the multi-million dollar Philippine Cup restart here in Pampanga, it is already a huge challenge to be away from family and live with the team for more than a month in a very contained area.

What else with 11 other teams?

“Kung labindalawang kayo team also lives together, I suppose you are also in a situation where you have to live in harmony with the rest of the other 11 teams,” he said. “Pwede shovel magsama-sama ang 12 teams nang a month without backlash.”

“It is the first time that happens and you not only approach the team, you also approach the other people you see in the hallway, in the elevator, in the gym. You see them every day. You have to talk to them a bit, ”he continued.

“It is the similarity of love for the game that unites us completely, that is why we are here. That is something to take away, a finding that I have been able to process for more than a month. ”

NLEX (5-6) is poised to leave the bubble alongside Terrafirma (1-10), NorthPort (1-9) and Blackwater (2-8), with the latter two teams still playing their final assignments at press time. .

NorthPort, which was touted as a playoff contender this season with Christian Standhardinger and Sean Anthony leading the way, fell short of preseason expectations as injuries and a crucial referee call marred their campaign.

Pido Jarencio’s Batang Pier entered the bubble without his guard Robert Bolick (recovering from an ACL injury when the season began) while Jonathan Gray (patellar tendon) did not adapt in any game and Anthony (tendon of the corva) missed several games.

An incorrect decision by referee Sherwin Pineda led to a 70-68 loss to Rain or Shine on October 18 and from there it went downhill to Jarencio’s side. Pineda was relieved of his duties, while Batang Pier has only won a single game (107-96 vs. Terrafirma) since then.

Learn from this bubble experience. Bawi na lang next year, ”said Jarencio, who also revealed that Garvo Lanete and Paolo Taha were playing due to injuries.

“(I’m not) bitter, but that’s our destiny here. Maybe he just recovers. When we recover, the former is stronger, “he added.

Terrafirma was also disappointing this season despite having top pick Roosevelt Adams to complement last season’s Rookie of the Year and scoring champion CJ Pérez.

Coach Johnedel Cardel said they have nothing to do now but learn from their brief bubble trip.

“We were really out of time when we walked in here. And of course the losers preceded it too, ”said Cardel, whose Jeep went through a seven-game losing streak before winning its first game (110-101 vs. Blackwater) on Nov. 6.

For its part, Blackwater enjoyed a 2-1 start, but its momentum stalled after two cases of “false positives” rocked the league.

The first case was a referee who was found to have officiated in the Elite game against Alaska Aces. Days later, one of his players became the second case.

They both subsequently tested negative for confirmatory antigen and RT-PCR tests, but the IATF and DOH still instructed the league to postpone their games and only resume them after meeting new protocols.

That series of events forced coach Nash Racela’s Blackwater to play six games in just nine days, as the league came on a compressed schedule after a four-day postponement.